Baseball gloves have been around since the advent of baseball over 100 years ago. Sand lots all over the country are filled with softball and baseball players, each garnishing their own glove. The baseball glove industry is a multi-million dollar industry which reaches all levels of our society. Despite this, baseball glove technology has basically remained the same for the last 100 years.
Conventional gloves are made of a sturdy leather material and use firm, solid padding to maintain their shape. The leather is generally two layers: an outer shell of a thick leather, and an inner layer of smooth leather for contacting the surfaces of the hand. Thick pads are used between these layers of leather to protect the hand of the user and to provide support for the glove. These pads often include a plastic insert running their length so as to make the pad stiffer and to give more support for the glove. The pads and the plastic often extend up the stalls which receive the fingers and thumb. Padding which is more flexible is used at the palmar section of the glove so that closing of the glove is possible. However, the thick padding often extends from the top of the thumb stall downward to the palm of the hand, making movement of the thumb difficult. In fact, the design of the gloves is such that movement is made by the finger stalls of the gloves only, such that the finger stalls move over and overlay the webbing and the thumb stall, creating an elongate wedge for closing the ball within.
The stiff leather and padding material used in conventional gloves are often difficult to maneuver and shape. In fact, many players have developed complex techniques to break in their gloves. One method involves the steps of oiling down the glove, placing a ball within the webbing, and wrapping a rope around the finger stalls, the thumb stall and the webbing so that a pocket can be formed. The glove is then left in that position for an extended period of time. Some players beat their gloves with hammers to loosen the material or to make it more pliable. After working the gloves to this degree, the top ends of the thumb and finger stalls loose their shape. Thus there is a need for a baseball glove which would not require an extended break-in period, yet can maintain its shape over the life of the glove.
The present padding and thick leather designs of conventional gloves also make them heavy for use, especially for younger or weaker players. The combination of the stiff, rigid material and the weight of the material makes the glove difficult to manipulate. For these reasons, a lighter weight glove is needed.
Once the stiff leather and padding is loosened up enough so that the glove is broken in, the glove has a tendency to lose its form and remain in a closed position. Thus, the user must hold the glove open by using physical force when catching the ball. This can be dangerous for a player with weaker hands or a younger player who cannot hold the glove open. A closed glove may cause the player to miss the ball or mis-catch the ball, perhaps causing the ball to strike the player. Therefore, there is a need for gloves to have a tendency to be opened so as to ease catching or fielding of the ball.
Because of the loss of shape of the glove after breaking in, the padding extending up the length of the thumb and finger stalls often loose their shape. Thus, a user with its hand in the glove often finds that the only region of the glove that moves when attempting to move the fingers is that part of the glove immediately adjacent to the hand. There is a need for a light support system in the gloves which could act as an extension of the fingers so that the fingers may have leverage to fully control the entire length of the finger or thumb stalls.
Closure of the glove by movement of the finger stalls over the thumb stall and webbing of conventional gloves requires use of the closure process of the medicarpal phalangeal "MP" joint. This closure is not advantageous because it does not use the stronger muscles connected to the thumb. Preferably, closure of the glove would be by the pinch mechanism of the hand, which is formed between the thumb and fingers. This allows use of the muscles associated with the thumb, as well as the muscles along the MP joint.
Although it is ideal for a glove to remain in the open position when on the hand of a user, some players, especially infield players, prefer that a circular or "U-shaped pocket" be formed by the glove, so as to better trap the ball upon catching or fielding. These pockets are formed by keeping the glove in an open position and forcing the upper ends of the thumb and finger stalls inward. Thus, when facing the glove from the direction a ball will travel towards the glove, the outer perimeter of the glove seems to have a circular or semicircular appearance with the thumb and little finger stalls having a concave shape such that the central portions of the stalls bow outward relative to the pocket of the glove and the lower and upper portions of the stalls bow inward. Presently, players form this type of pocket by working their glove into the bowed shape. This is done by biasing the glove into that position and holding it that way for the extended period of time. Since the padding and stiff leather material of the gloves does not have a memory for its beginning position, it will have a tendency to maintain that position once it is held in that manner for the extended period of time. However, although this position may be formed, retaining the shape of the pocket is difficult once the glove has been well broken in. Also, once the pocket has been formed, it is difficult to return the glove to its natural shape. There is a need for an easily-formable U-shaped pocket which may be released and returned to its natural shape if needed.
In summary, there is a need in the art for a lighter weight glove which is easier for a player to open and close. Preferably, the glove will maintain its shape over its life and will be comfortable for a player. In addition, the glove should be able to be formed into a desirable shape so that the player may catch and field balls with the least amount of effort.